Band 7 Occupational Therapist

Our Respiratory medicine team are seeking experienced Clinicians to lead our Occupational Therapy services, and to develop a more integrated approach to hospital discharge in line with latest national initiatives. The knowledge and skills of Occupational Therapists are key in supporting patients living with frailty and complex needs, and in assisting them in recovering from acute illness and enabling them to return 'home first'.

As the Band 7 Occupational Therapist, you will provide advanced clinical skills in the assessment and management of patients with complex health and social needs, relating these to the persons occupational therapy needs on the ward and s will include managing your own caseload as well as supporting other team members, and providing specialist advice to the MDT for patients not directly under your care.

• To be a specialist practitioner in the assessment and management of older adult patients (admitted to West Middlesex Hospital)
• To use expert knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills to provide specialist support and advice to patients and staff within the Respiratory, Cardiology, Surgical, Enhanced care, and ICU pending on experience, and to manage a caseload of patients with highly complex discharge planning throughout their hospital stay.
• To be responsible for the operational management and clinical leadership of the Respiratory Medicine Occupational Therapy team and service development of OT in Critical Care.
• To lead on the development of the Occupational therapy service in the Intensive care unit and attend relevant training/meetings to build the service pathway.
• Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional practice.
• To take overall responsibility for the Occupational Therapy caseload, being able to independently manage service capacity and demand, ensuring service delivery is based on priorities.
• The patient group may include the following conditions:
  Post ICU syndrome, Orthopaedic conditions, Dementia and cognitive concerns, Frailty and related conditions.
• To determine the patients and families/carers understanding of the occupational therapy intervention in order to gain valid informed consent and to be able to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To use in depth clinical reasoning, comprehensive knowledge and understanding of conditions, and wide-ranging knowledge of treatment options to plan and implement individual occupational therapy programs, and treatment protocols, using highly developed occupational therapy treatment techniques and therapeutic handling skills.
• To monitor and evaluate occupational therapy treatment to ensure effectiveness of the intervention and to identify quickly when treatment requires modifying.
• Provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, promoting understanding of the aims of occupational treatment plans ensuring a consistent approach to patient care.
• Demonstrate safe and efficient moving and handling skills and therapeutic handling on the basis of a sound risk assessment. Provide moving and handling advice to other team members as required.
• Develop comprehensive discharge plans in collaboration with the other members of the multidisciplinary team and have good knowledge of community services and pathways.
• Within remit of specialist expertise ensure timely referral to other health professionals/services as appropriate.
• Ensure that all documentation around patient care is recorded to Trust and COT Standards of Practice and Health Care Professionals Code of Conduct.
• To take an active role in, and on occasions to organise, multi-disciplinary team meetings such as case conferences, ward rounds and discharge planning meetings to communicate information about individual patient progress and prognosis, including potential discharge dates.
• To be responsible for the appropriate provision and the safe and competent use of a wide range of therapy aids and equipment to patients in line with department standards and ensure that all staff in your team do likewise.
• To be responsible for undertaking and organising individual environmental assessments with patients through pre-operative home assessments, access visits, home visits and follow-up visits.
• To work as a lone practitioner while on community visits including access visits and those as part of the Discharge to Assess pathway.
• To support more junior staff in the development of their assessment, treatment and clinical reasoning skills to ensure a high standard of care to Respiratory Medicine.
• To develop the service of Occupational therapy within the intensive care unit in order to meet the relevant guidelines/recommendation.
• Provide occupational therapy at weekends as required by the service - this will include participation on the Emergency Department weekend rota.

• To have an active role in the planning, development, coordination,…